WESTPORT — Unlocked cars are blamed for a crime spree along Post Road East early Thursday during which police said a car was stolen from a shopping center lot and later crashed while fleeing, and a wallet was swiped from another vehicle shortly afterward.

The incidents began to unfold when a man reported to police that his car — left unlocked with the key fob inside, according to the report — was stolen about 40 minutes after he parked at 7 a.m. Thursday in the shopping center lot at 285 Post Road East.

As officers were headed to the scene to investigate the stolen-car report, a crash was reported in the parking lot of the office building at 500 Post Road East, police said.

Police quickly determined the vehicle involved in the accident was the one recently reported stolen.

The vehicle was unoccupied, and a search for suspects, aided by K-9 dog teams from Norwalk and Darien, proved unsuccessful.

At the same time, police received a report that a wallet was just stolen from an unlocked vehicle parked at the shopping center at 400 Post Road East.

As police continue to investigate the incidents, they are again underscoring “the importance of keeping your vehicle locked at all times,” according to a statement issued Thursday.

Police also are asking the public that “should you happen to witness a person stealing or burglarizing a car, do not intervene as in some instances these individuals are armed. Instead, immediately notify the police.”